Whether you’re standing, sitting, kneeling, or lying, yoga poses take work. Both experienced yogis and beginners might have wondered just how many poses there are. The answer is both simple and vague… hundreds! In the sacred texts, there are thousands of asanas, but only a few of them are regularly used. The Five Tibetan Rites are part of them.

So what are the Five Tibetan Rites that you do in yoga?

In this article, we’ll look at the essentials of each of the Five Tibetan Rites.

The Tibetan Spin, for Improving Your Balance

Even though the name’s a bit odd, this is essential when starting your journey. The first pose, the Tibetan Spin, is quite simple. You just have to spin around. Here’s how you do it:

Stand up with your arms out. Your right palm should be facing upwards and your left palm should be facing downwards.

Now turn clockwise if in the Northern Hemisphere and anticlockwise if in the Southern Hemisphere.

You can do the Five Tibetan Rites in a yoga class. (Source: janeb13)

Do this 12 times in total. If you start feeling dizzy, keep in mind that the Five Tibetan Rites are to help you and not an exercise to repeat at any cost.

The objective of the Tibetan Spin is to use your magnetic field to work on your energy.

You can change the speed or the balance (by closing your eyes). There’s always a way to improve upon your first Tibetan Spin.

While it might seem simple at first, it’s not always easy to repeat. It’s recommended that you do between 3 and 21 sets. Start by doing 3 at first, then move to 5 after a few sessions, and keep going up in odd-numbered sets.

The objective of Prone to Upward Staff Pose is to work on your solar plexus chakra, strengthen the abs a neck, and stimulate the thyroid and pancreas.

The key to this Tibetan Rite is breathing; you can’t do it if you don’t breathe correctly as indicated. In general, the movement of your head and legs will make you want to breathe in, you’ll need to focus on breathing out.

By acting on the abdominal muscles, this Tibetan Rite can stimulate your pancreas. If you breathe in while raising your legs and your head, the intra-abdominal pressure will cause you to be out of breath.

Tip: When you start, you can bend your legs. This can make the exercise easier to do.

The Rabbit To Camel Pose, the Third Tibetan Rite

While there are a few ways to do this one, it’s recommended that you do it on your knees.

Some of the Tibetan Rites are harder than others. (Source: shushipu)

For the third Tibetan Rite, do as follows:

Kneel down.

Place your palms on the back of your thighs.

Dip your head so that your chin presses onto your chest as you breathe out.

Lean backwards as far as you can without falling over and lift your chin upwards as you breathe in.

Make sure you contract your glutes and stretch your thighs. This will help you to get the most out of it and to avoid muscle strain.

Surely this is what exercising is all about, isn’t it?

Do this between 3 and 21 times (like with the other Tibetan Rites).

The Rabbit to Camel Pose is for moving energy from your solar plexus chakra to your heart chakra and also stretch your hips and abdominal wall. Again, breathing is important if you want to get this Tibetan Rite correct. Breathe in as you extend your chest cavity as it’s better for you.

There’s a second variation of this pose you can do once you’ve mastered the other:

The Downward Dog is one of the more famous yoga poses. (Source: AndiP)

To get the most out of this pose, make sure you can feel the stretching in the backs of your thighs and your back. This can be really relieving.

The Upward Dog to Downward Dog can stretch your entire body and free your mind. This is a good pose for those who suffer from back pains.

Repeat this between 3 and 21 times. The same goes for this rite as the others; work your way up to more sets. This is the most liberating of the Five Tibetan Rites, which is why it’s the last one.

Tip: if you’re just getting started and aren’t flexible enough to do this, you might want to bend your arms a bit.

Most yogis, regardless of their age, can do the Five Tibetan Rites without too much training!

You need to practise these poses in the same order every time. Repeat each pose of the Five Tibetan Rites between 3 and 21 times. Start off slowly and soon you’ll be a master of them. It’s good for the body and the mind and there’s no reason you can’t get started tomorrow.

Ready for your yoga routine?

If you need help with yoga or the Five Tibetan Rites, you could always get a tutor from Superprof. On Superprof, there are three main types of yoga tutorial available: face-to-face tutorials, online tutorials, and group tutorials and each of them has its advantages and disadvantages.

Face-to-face tutorials are personalised sessions with a single student and the most cost-effective type of tutorial available. However, they tend to be the most expensive, too.

Online tutorials take place over webcam using video conferencing software and allow you to get tutorials from anywhere with a decent internet connection at any time of the day. With fewer overheads, these tend to be cheaper per hour than the face-to-face tutorials.

Finally, group tutorials include several students and are useful for those needing to share the cost of private tutorials. If you and some friends are interested in yoga, you should consider giving it a go! Of course, you won’t get as much one-on-one time with the tutor.